Is the political situation in the Czech lands about to change? If we want to see signs that something like this is coming, it is important to know where to look. What matters is not the statements of politicians or the founding of more and more political parties. What is important is that Czech industrial tycoons are publicly talking about setting up a large purely Czech bank.
If this were to happen, it would mean a fundamental change in the country’s circumstances. A Czech bank would not have to demand “social responsibility” from its corporate clients, it would not have to boycott opposition media, it could finance projects that climate activists do not like… and above all it could help in many situations where business owners today have no choice but to sell to foreign capital.
A few years ago, it would have been unthinkable to talk publicly about something like this, because those involved would have been at risk of being cut off from financing themselves, and the new bank would not have been able to fully compensate. But times are changing.